November 12, 2015 (Thursday)
There is a new television show called, “Lucifer,” which is a show about Satan, or, if you will, the Devil. I don’t know what it will have to say to us, but I’m not optimistic about its ideas. I wrote a blog explaining how the Devil got the name, “Lucifer,” but the explanation seemed complex and hard to simplify, so I’m writing this one instead. Just believe me, please, when I tell you that the Hebrew word translated “Lucifer” should have been translated differently. Read the Wikipedia article on “Lucifer” to see what I mean. The reference is in Isaiah 14:12, and only the King James Version uses the word, “Lucifer.” Isaiah was addressing the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar II, and was saying that the king’s glory would be removed by the judgment of God.
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The Bible definitely teaches the reality of evil in our world, personified in a person called “Satan” or “The Devil.” Chuck Swindoll wrote the following about the Devil: “We battle the Devil. The Devil, also called Satan, was an elite angel who rebelled against God, seeking to steal His glory and usurp His authority. He became the commander-in-chief of a war against God so God cast him out of heaven with a minority of angels now known as demons. Satan and his demons operate by deceiving us, seducing us, blinding us, accusing us, and seeking to influence us in such a way as to defeat us and thereby rob God of His glory (Eph. 6:12).
We can have victory over Satan through Jesus, the Son of God, the Word of God (the Bible), the presence and power of the Holy Spirit within us, and the encouragement and help of fellow believers. The Scripture says, “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).